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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

A Guide to the Perfect Guest Blog

Guest blogging is a great way to gain writing experience, and help to get your name out there; especially as young PR students. As PRowl's Director of Public Relations, one of my main responsibilities is to manage the guest blog posts which are posted each weekend. Before I was a guest blogger, I often struggled coming up with strong topics for my own guest blogs. Now, sitting on the editor's side, I have seen some major guest blogging successes, as well as some flops. Here are 5 ways to insure your next guest blog is a sensation:

1. Be familiar with the blog - A blogger can always tell when someone has actually bothered to read the things they post. Do not pitch a guest blog about fashion or lifestyle to a blogger who strictly blogs about politics. When you pitch your idea, be sure to have examples of how your post would fit well into the flow of the blog. This will also help you establish a relationship with that blogger, which means you will be more likely to guest blog for him or her again!

2. Know your audience - Even if you manage your own successful blog, it is important to remember that, as a guest blogger, you have a difference audience than your own readership to manage. Spend time reading through posts and comments on the blog you plan to guest blog for. When you write your blog post, remember that you have to cater to the host's audience, and not your own.

3. Ask for guidelines - Most blogs require that guest bloggers follow a specific set of rules or guidelines when writing a post. If no one presents these guidelines to you, as sure to ask essentials questions like a suggested word count, or how the post should be formatted. It is better to write the post correctly the first time than to miss having your post uploaded because of silly mistakes.

4. Don't over promote - The point of a guest blog is to teach readers something they wouldn't have normally learned from the blog. It isn't a time to promote your personal networks. If the host blogger okays it, including links to your own blog or social media is acceptable, but the main focus should be on the content of the post. No one wants to visit their favorite blog only to read a shameless plug.

5. Stay organized - While going on a short rant on your own blog, a guest blog may require more structure and organization. Have your thoughts mapped out, and stick to the topic at hand.

Have you ever guest blogged before? Tell us what your experience was like!